Sonoran Desert in January

 

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area

Adrienne and I flew out to Tucson, Arizona for a week in the Sonoran desert and to also visit with our daughter who lives there.  It was perfect timing for us, as the temperatures at home went down into the single digits while we were away.  Our original flight plan had to be adjusted due to some delay in Asheville, which resulted in flying from AVL to ATL, then ATL to SLC, and from SLC to TUS, instead of just a flight from ATL to TUS.  The stopover was okay, as SLC has a beautiful airport with great views of the Wasatch mountains from the windows.  However, leaving AVL at 9 am and arriving in TUS around 11:30 pm made for a very long day of travel.  By the time we went to pick up our rental car, our choice was a van.  It turns out that the Chrysler van was perfect for this trip, as we found out a bit later.  We arrived at our vacation rental, located along the Catalina Highway, around 1 am.  I think I slept really well when I finally tumbled into bed.  Arriving in the dark, we didn’t see just how beautiful our location was until we got up in the morning.

At SLC

In packing for this trip, I had to simplify my gear, since we were flying.  I brought my Nikon Df DSLR with a 35mm f/2 AFD Nikkor, 24mm f/2.8 AIS Nikkor, and a 28-200mm AF Sigma zoom lens.  In the film department, I brought my Leica M2 with the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, Ricoh 35 ZF (the former Tucson Police camera), Ansco Pix Panorama, and the Lomo Sprocket Rocket.  Of course, my iPhone XR was used quite a lot, too.  I packed my Manfrotto travel tripod, which it turns out I never used on the trip. My favorite shoulder bag is a canvas messenger bag, which held all my cameras, etc. (the tripod sat in the van all the time).  Since the TSA in Asheville uses the new high-power CT scanners, I mailed most of my film ahead of time to my daughter, and brought about 5 rolls with me, which were gladly hand-inspected by TSA.

it all fits in the bag

Our first day in Tucson was Jan. 17, and the weather was really quite nice, with a high in the low 70s.  Light wispy clouds made for better conditions for landscape photography.  We were in downtown Tucson for part of the day, had a nice lunch at La Yaquesita, and then went out to Sabino Canyon National Park later in the afternoon.  Sabino Canyon has a bunch of trails that pretty much allow you to wander anywhere you want.  The first bird I saw was a roadrunner, and never saw another one during the trip. It was a good first day in the Sonoran Desert, and the low angle of the sun made for some wonderful photo opportunities.  As we were about to leave, I saw some lenticular clouds that were illuminated by the setting sun, and swapped the 35mm lens out for the 28-200.  As I view those images now, I find it hard to believe my luck.  

Those clouds!

Our daughter Jorie had the next 5 days off and we used the morning of the 18th to do some shopping and thrift store looking. One seller had a bunch of cameras, and although there were none that I felt I needed,  I did buy four late 1950s issues of Popular Photography for $1.50 each. While they are in excellent condition, they have that smell of being in a basement. Oh, but the ads inside them!  A great peek at the late-1950s photographic  market. 

The Catalinas, the Saguaros. Leica M2, Kodak Pro Image 100

Our next visit was to Catalina State Park, which lies off AZ Route 77 E of Tucson, and borders Coronado National Forest. Some portions of the park were burned in the Bighorn Forest fire of 2022, and you can see the effects on the lower trails and into the mountains.  Catalina State Park has numerous trails, and we took the nature trail, which gave us wonderful views of the Santa Catalina mountains.  A big forest fire impacted some areas in the park a few years ago, and you can see the damage as you go towards the mountains. There’s riparian habitats there as well as desert scrub, wonderful Saguaros, and lots of interesting boulders.  It was a beautiful afternoon with some clouds, and I highly recommend the park.

On Friday, we all traveled to Globe Arizona, and the journey is the reward, as some might say.  To get to Globe, we took AZ 77 out of Tucson, and as we approached Oracle, we saw the signs for Biosphere 2.  I knew that Biosphere 2 was originally conceived as a sort of self-contained environment to test the survivability of people in a closed system, such as one might have on Mars.  Those missions in the early 1990s, ended, and now the Biopshere 2 is a teaching/research facility (Earth is Biosphere 1)  operated by the University of Arizona.  It’s definitely on my list for my next Tucson visit.  Farther on, it was obvious that we were amid ranch land.  Large yuccas lines the edges off the road.  Then, we came to Mammoth, an old mining town that has perhaps seen better days.  Mammoth borders the San Pedro River and the Galiuro mountains.  My first thought was that it could have been a movie set for a post-apocalyptic film, but as we drove around a bit, I got a better sense of the town, which was incorporated in 1958.  There is a park on the W side of 77 that features sculptures and a memorial for miners and their families that died working the mines in the area.  If I were a story-teller, it would be worth the time to spend a couple of days there talking to people.  As you drive N, you come to North Mammoth, and there are places to dine and stay.  

Mining memorial, Mammoth. Sprocket Rocket, Derevpan100

We continued on towards Globe, and as we looked to the AZ  77 roadsides, it was evident that the Saguaros there are doing quite well.  Many have arms on the arms.  The road gains and loses elevation -- up to 8% grades, and our first roadside stop was just after Winkelman. We could see the giant smokestack from miles away, which is part of the copper ore processing.  The town of Winkelman has less than 300 people, making it the smallest incorporated town in Arizona.  Our next stop was at a roadside park - El Capitan Pass at milepost marker 162 (33° 15.796′ N, 110° 46.307′ W), which overlooks the valley to the NE, and the nearby mountains had some snow on them. The bronze plaque, installed in 1964, has bullet craters, because, you know, idiots with guns.  

We finally arrived in Globe, which is an old mining town, founded in 1875. Silver mining was followed by copper mining, which continues to this day to the SW near Superior.  Globe is the seat of Gila Co., and has a population of about 7200 people.  Some walking around the downtown resulted in a few photos, and a visit to an antique mall, which did not have any heat, and it was cold!  Some antique/junk stores were not open that day, but they certainly had some interesting item displayed.  I’m not too sure about the giant gold head of Nixon.  What the hell was that about?  From seeing old postcards of Globe, it’s not the town that it was 100 years ago, but then, that can be said of many small towns in America.  Jorie mentioned that Globe greatly reminded her of mining towns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, particularly Houghton. I have to agree.  There were some other parts of the town that we drove past that definitely deserved some photography, but in the short daylight  of January, I could not stop and give it the attention it deserved.  We proceeded to Besh Ba Gowah, a state archeological site that features a very nice museum next to a partially reconstructed prehistoric Salado pueblo. It looks like the inhabitants deserted the pueblo before 1450, and much of it was studied/excavated in the late 1920s- 1940s.  The museum is particularly well-done, and really worth the visit.

Besh Ba Gowah reconstruction

We headed home to our rental, but took US 60 to AZ 177, and that was a really exciting drive with 10% grades, a view of the gigantic Ray Mine, and brief looks at Miami, Superior, Kelvin, Kearny, and Hayden, and then past Winkelman to AZ 77 and “home.”  Definitely a series of old and currently running mining towns that need to be photographed.  We stopped at one roadside “park” near Superior, and Jorie took the trail down to Queen Creek.  The volcanic rocks there are purported to be popular rock-climbing spots, and there are many amazing-looking canyons that the road passes through.  

Ansco Pix Panorama, cliffs along US60

near Queen Creek

AZ-177

Saturday, Jan. 20 turned out to be a big surprise, as we decided to visit the Sweetwater Wetland park, which is on the West side of Tucson.  The park is part of the Tucson Water Dept. water treatment facility, where treated wastewater is pumped into a series of ponds, and then into the underground aquifer.  It’s an oasis in the Sonoran desert, and the ponds are full of bullrushes and cattails - and ringed with willows and cottonwoods.  It’s a big place for birders, too.  I saw a Vermilion Flycatcher, a Snipe, coots, several species of ducks, herons, egrets, and many little birds whose names elude me.  We saw quite a few people with big telephoto lenses as we hiked the trails. It’s no surprise that the ponds also draw in other animals, as bobcats have been photographed along the trails.  What impressed me the most were the confused cottonwoods.  Some still had fall foliage, while also showing spring buds/green leaves, or brown leaves from the controlled burns that they do there.   Controlled burns are periodically done in different ponds to control invasive plant species.  At one point, all the trees and shrubs and flowering plants looked like someone had put flocking on them, and as I turned around, I realized that it was from heads on the cattails. That’s a lot of fluff.   There were plenty of compelling scenes to photograph, for sure.  It certainly is something I had not anticipated in the Sonoran desert.

Ansco Pix Panorama, Derevpan 100

Ansco Pix Panorama, Derevpan 100

Afterwards, we traveled to Saguaro National Park West for the remainder of the afternoon. That’s a beautiful drive through Gates Pass Rd, past “Old Tucson” and then into the park.  The highlight of that visit was the Signal Hill area, and seeing the Hohokam petroglyphs on top of the hill.  It was a delight to see the vista from the top of the hill, and on the way out, I photographed a beautiful old VW bus that was in the parking lot.  I once thought it would be fun to travel in one, but that’s when I was in my 20s, not now.

Petroglyphs, Sprocket Rocket, Fomapan 400

classic VW

Gates Pass

gnarly mesquite

Hohokam Petroglyphs

On Sunday, Jan. 21, we woke up to a cloudy and drizzly day. It had rained heavily all night, and the low clouds obscured the mountains.  Jorie and I headed for a quick visit to Saguaro NP East, and the mist reminded me a bit of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the desert scene was gorgeous amongst the clouds.  It was my first time on a wet trail in the desert, and I know how people got the idea for adobe.  That soil, when wet, dries to a hard surface. 

Leica M2, Lomochrome Color '92

 Jorie and I then headed to the Barrio Viejo district of downtown Tucson, where the adobe/stucco homes and small businesses predominate.  I love the more organic look of those buildings, and just about every one has a different colored facade and door. Some have intricate ironwork adorning the windows.  In the soft light of the cloudy day, those places were perfectly suited for color film in my Leica M2.  I also finished up the roll of color film (Karmir 160) in my Ricoh 35ZF. We passed by a a place that had two stories, and on the second story balcony hung a Trump for Prison 2024  flag, which made my day.  The lady on her balcony greeted us two photographers below on the street and I said, I second that!  She saw my yellow block M on my jacket and then wished the Lions good luck on their upcoming game.  There are a lot of retired Michigan transplants in Arizona, and my jacket was a conversation starter on a number of occasions.

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

We headed back to the rental, but not until after we picked up some delicious donuts  from Le Cave’s bakery (since 1935).  The rain started up again in the afternoon, so we did some shopping and errands.

Monday, Jan. 22 was our last full day with Jorie, and we headed out to Sabino Canyon again.  However, this time, we were treated to dramatic low clouds and no rain, but everything was wet from the night’s rain.  Seeing water drops on the cholla was something new.  This time, we looked for the amazing crested Saguaro cactus, and it is indeed, quite a sight.   The air temp was in the lower 50s, which did not feel chilly as we walked.  There were quite a few people at the park, probably enjoying their hikes in cool weather.  This time, we took the Sabino Lake trail, and gained elevation.  There are several campsites near the trail, along with a bathroom.  While we were there, a good size male Javelina was poking around for food when it startled Jorie.  I watched it, and never even took a photograph!  As we continued up the trail, it got more in the bedrock rather than a gravelly trail.  I’m sure it would have been slick if it were raining.  We reached the top of a ridge and could look right down on the Sabino Creek, with its rushing waters from the rains.  That was a good turnaround spot and also a wonderful view.

 

desert mistletoe

rocks are no impediment for Saguaros

Looking down into Sabino Canyon

cristate Saguaro

FPP Red Scale 25, Leica M2

FPP Red Scale 25, Leica M2

Tuesday, Jan. 23 was our last full day in Tucson, and I mailed out my exposed and unexposed film back home to NC, with 1 roll left in the Leica.  Amazingly, my box of film arrived the day after we returned!   Adrienne and I drove to Saguaro NP East, and parked at the end of Speedway Road where the Douglas Spring trail begins.  We walked that trail for better than 3/4 mile, and when we saw that an impending storm was coming our way, we headed back to the car.  It was good timing, because we had hardly left the parking lot when it started raining.  I got some good photos of the storm clouds and the mist among the peaks.

Wednesday, Jan. 24 started about 2:30 am for us, as we had to be at TUS airport by 4 am-ish for our flight to ATL. We returned the van, and had plenty of time to have a morning snack before boarding.  The flight to ATL was uneventful - though I should note that the only time the ground was not obscured by clouds, was over central New Mexico.  Otherwise, it was cloudy all the way. We had to hurry to the gate for our flight to AVL, and we made it in plenty of time.  We touched down in Asheville a little before 1 pm.  

AVL is undergoing renovations, so we had the old-time outdoor ramp

It was a great trip, and the only thing I would have done differently was not bring the tripod. I didn’t over pack for camera gear, and the cameras and lens selections were perfect. 

I’ve now gone through all the digital images, developed and scanned the film, and I certainly came away with some wonderful shots.  Seeing the Sonoran Desert in January was a first-time experience, and the really comfortable temperatures combined with some interesting clouds and rain was a bonus. I'll definitely have some material for future zines.